


Flower Fruit Mountain

by needchocolatenow



Category: Saiyuki
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-11
Updated: 2011-04-11
Packaged: 2017-10-17 23:01:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/182235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/needchocolatenow/pseuds/needchocolatenow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On their journey to the West, there's a mountain that's been standing since five hundred years ago.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Flower Fruit Mountain

Goku’s certain he’s not afraid of anything at all. In fact, he thinks he’s quite invincible. He says as much and Gojyo laughs so hard, he nearly pisses his pants.

“You dumbass, what about all those times you got your ass handed to you? Did you forget about them?” Gojyo says and then starts to laugh all over again and Sanzo threatens to shoot them both with his gun.

Later in the day, they enter a forest, lush and green, at the base of a mountain. A town a few miles back had warned the party that they shouldn’t go near it; they should just avoid it. No matter how beautiful, the mountain is cursed and dangerous and filled with prowling demons.

“What’s the name of this mountain?” Hakkai asks, trying to find their location on the map.

“The Flower Fruit Mountain,” the local answers.

Sanzo blinks.

“We’re going,” Sanzo growls and he looks back at Goku.

Goku grins back, not afraid of what’s to come. His stomach growls and he complains about food, but Sanzo hits him with his fan because they’ve just finished eating and they’re not going to indulge Goku’s bottomless stomach. Hakkai’s smile is warm as he tells everyone to settle down or get thrown out of the Jeep. Everything is as it should be.

The forest is deep and the road overgrown, but Hakkai plows on, faith in Jeep never wavering.

Gojyo falls asleep, bored out of his mind by the peaceful scenery. Sanzo remains silent in the passenger seat, his eyes hidden by his golden hair and thoughts clouded. Goku’s asleep too, this forest blurring into any other forest that they’ve encountered in their long, long journey to the west.

When Hakkai swerves suddenly, everyone’s thrown forward and to the left and Gojyo nearly flies out of his seat.

“What the fuck?” Gojyo snarls. “I thought you were a better driver than that! My life is in your hands!”

“It’s a girl,” Goku says, pointing at the collapsed figure lying in a patch of grass on the overgrown road.

“Of course it’s a girl,” Gojyo says. “I mean, look at those curves.”

The girl is a demon unaffected by the Minus Wave. There’s a whole village of them, it turns out, and it’s a large village too. Sanzo’s exceptionally quiet the moment he steps foot on dirt and not wild grass. Gojyo thinks that after a good time, they should leave before something happens and Hakkai agrees, though less about the good time part. Goku feels something stir deep inside him and he’s happy for no reason whatsoever.

“Goku,” Sanzo says sharply and Goku looks up at him, golden eyes shining brighter than ever.

“Sanzo?” Goku tilts his head in question.

“Don’t wander.” Sanzo puts enough steel in his voice to make Goku gulp and wonder if he’s done something wrong.

Goku shrinks back a bit and he isn’t as enthusiastic about touring the village anymore. He still complains that he’s hungry though, so the girl they rescued takes them to her home to feed them.

Hakkai picks up on Sanzo’s wariness and gives Sanzo a pointed stare, but the monk says nothing and waves him off. Gojyo’s too busy trying to flirt to notice anything wrong and Goku’s too occupied with his stomach to think about anything. Jeep chirps when Goku’s mouth starts watering and flies back into the safety of Hakkai’s arms. The little dragon knows all too well that when Goku gets hungry, his little rump starts looking delicious and Goku never hesitates to take a bite.

After a good meal, the sky begins to darken and in the twilight, fireflies come out. Goku runs to chase the fireflies, the others watching him as he runs.

“We should leave soon,” Hakkai murmurs, feeling an unease settle into his stomach.

The rest of the village have come out as well to watch the fireflies. Some of the younger ones begins to chase them as Goku’s doing and they laugh and squeal when they come close enough to catch one.

“Ah, the boys Gyokuyou brought back,” a wrinkled old lady speaks when she sees them.

“Good evening, ma’am,” Hakkai greets politely.

“You are not like the other demon-kin that pass through here,” she says, watching them. “You are…like us.”

Gojyo grins cockily. “It’s going to take a lot more than that stupid wave to bring us down.”

The old lady smiles, the lines around her eyes crinkling deeply. “Good. The strong do not succumb to it.”

Goku runs up to them, something held between his cupped hands. “Look, look!” he says and opens them. Out flies two glowing fireflies and one of them nearly goes into Gojyo’s nose.

The old lady stares at Goku, silent and with a slack-jawed mouth.

“It couldn’t be,” she whispers and she brushes a gnarled finger against the sleeve of Goku’s tunic. When Goku turns to face her, she shakes her head and smiles. “Never you mind. Just the ramblings of an old woman.”

But Goku smiles brilliantly and she relents. “There’s a story,” she says. “The ones born here are all strong in body and mind, but there was one that surpassed all the rest. Unlike anyone ever before, he was born of the union between Heaven and Earth and he split from a rock.” She points to a high cliff that surrounds the village, where at the very top the shape of a rock could be made out. “The Gods feared his powers and for that, they chained him to the will of Heaven.”

“Stories are stories,” Sanzo says brusquely. “We’ve been here for too long. Let’s go.”

Hakkai and Gojyo share twin looks of fond exasperation and then Hakkai thanks the old woman and the girl they saved earlier for all their kindness and hospitality. Goku just looks disappointed that they have to leave and he beams as brightly as he can at the two of them.

As Gojyo and Goku argue their way into Jeep’s back seats, the old lady rests a wrinkled hand on Hakkai’s arm.

“Have you heard the story before? Of our lost boy?” she asks in a hushed whisper, eyes staring at the back of Goku’s head.

“I’m afraid I haven’t,” Hakkai answers and as gently as he can, brushes her hand off his arm. “But it’s only a story, isn’t it?”

The old woman stills and then smiles. “Yes, it is.”

Hakkai watches her line of sight and on impulse and curiosity, asks; “What was his name?”

“We didn’t call him any names back then, but we always called him Your Highness,” she replies thoughtfully, a small crinkle appearing on her brow as she thinks. “I’m certain that Heaven declared his name as Seiten Taisei; the Great Sage.”

The uneasiness and desperate need to leave the mountain made sense and Hakkai wants to leave just as quickly upon hearing the name. He nods at her, bidding her good-bye, and enters the driver’s seat. Jeep starts up and begins to roll steadily away from the village and into the darkened forest; Hakkai breathes a sigh of relief when he peeks into the rearview mirror to catch a glimpse of Goku.

He is staring outside, watching the darkness with his bright, golden eyes. For a moment, their eyes meet and Goku’s pupils are cat-eyed slits and his ears long and pointed. He grins, all white teeth and sharp canines, and goes back to looking.


End file.
